Sex is the Divine in its most available epiphany - Huston Smith

From Root to Rapture

Pleasure is our source of power, creativity and vibrancy

THERE ARE as many expressions of human sexuality as there are desires that fuel it. We all sit somewhere on the sexual spectrum, between the poles of flagrant promiscuity and ascetic celibacy. Perhaps we are somewhere in between: content with predictable, pedestrian sex and what is expected of us or perhaps we fly solo and are adept at pleasuring ourselves. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these expressions, whatever our sexual persuasion.

What if we were to climb off that prescription spectrum and re-imagine sex as the Divinely spiritual Beings temporarily encapsulated in human bodies that we are? We will visualise and reclaim our bodies as shimmering fields of light, energy and transformation. What if we were to set aside the sexual act and consciously cultivate its energy as something sacred and special? What would happen if we chose to honour, not squander our sexual energy? Could we really be capable of awakening our human spirit to its most luminous potential? The effort and outcome of ritualising the act of love and choosing quality over quantity will always bear the most profound and enduring fruits of fulfillment, satisfaction and transcendence, feelings that live on long after coitus.

We are capable of harnessing human procreative energy and transforming it into creative energy; in fact through this co-creative process with our partner, we can transmute this base instinctual energy into spiritual energy. The ritual sexual act can open us to the vastness of our Spirit awake and make our human body a shrine to that Spirit.

We are sitting on a vortex of power

Our sexuality is such an enigmatic and potent energy; just knowing that it can spark new life into being, requires that we do not underestimate its magnetic and transformative capacity. Sexual energy is the energy of life itself and the source of all creation. For sure, deep within the groin of us all resides a vortex of Divine energy. In the Yoga tradition, this reservoir of life-force energy is symbolised by the sacred serpent Kundalini, which lies dormant at the base of our spine, waiting to be woken from its slumber. As our sexual glands start to resonate with Divine light, our Kundalini serpent power begins its spiraling ascent from the base towards the crown. 

The serpent is a metaphor for the unconscious instinctive force, the power of pure desire. There is no end to desire; the sperm to fertilise the egg, the same thing that compels the lungs to breathe and our kidneys to function. We come to understand that the raw desire for quick physical release, is actually longing for Divine union in disguise. As Rumi poetised: 'All longing is longing for God'. The longing, yearning, craving; this is the raw fuel with which we focus upon to work and play. The combined energy of our united subtle bodies and nervous systems and all the faculties of our attention become tools to facilitate our entry into Divine nature.

This path is simple but profound

The narrative of Kundalini is a story of the feminine Goddess, Shakti, and the masculine God, Shiva, merging in sacred union when self-realisation or Samadhi dawns within, when time and space are both transcended. Tantric sex is an ancient practice that has been practised for more than 5,000 years and means ‘the weaving and expansion of energy’. It’s a slow form of sex that increases intimacy and creates a mind-body connection that lets us access deeper levels of feeling, sensation and energy. When attention is yoked to the sensory field and steadily maintained there, we eventually become sensitive to the subtlest emergences of thought, feeling and sensation. Instead of losing ourselves in orgasm, we draw the locus of unspent energy right up, up and up into the higher centres of consciousness. We may not become enlightened overnight, however, we will catalyse the ongoing process of waking up aspects of our authentic Self and unleashing inner faculties of perception. This makes life richer, more colourful and vital.

The intention is to wholeheartedly celebrate the sacredness of our bodies and desires while bringing a quality of mindful awareness to the shared expression of pleasure. This can help us release shame, trauma and blocks around sex, liberating the transformative power of our erotic energy that can lead us to soul-shattering orgasm. More importantly our sensuality becomes a doorway into our true nature as Divine beings and to a more intimate experience of the present moment. This is true of how many aphrodisiac plants work, whose very job description, is to enhance the overall transformative sexual experience. Plants and their extracts have accompanied humans for millennium as we evolved our sexuality to its highest spiritual expression.

The underlying unifying force in the Universe is sacred

The French call the orgasm ‘La petite Mort’ which means little death and indeed orgasm is an evanescent window into the infinite, eternal void that keeps us wanting to return. Should we care to take the time to meaningfully and lovingly gaze with soft, receptive eyes into the eyes of our partner, especially during the pinnacle of the sexual act; we might just discover the essence of our shared presence, the source from which we have all sprung. We might see ourselves mirrored in our lover’s eyes as the embodied god and goddess we emulate. In an elevated state of sexual intercourse we become one with the other, we ‘merge’ with them in total absorption because our I-sense is dissolved.

If we can sustain the focus of our awareness, our breath and desire at the brink of orgasm, we come to realise that it is not an end in itself, but part of an ongoing process of joy that transcends orgasm. By opening fully to the reality of our body during coitus, and staying fully present with ourselves during the moments of extreme pleasure, without allowing the mind to escape into fantasy and ignoring its compulsion to describe, label and critique, we can do just about anything.

Pure plant scent can elevate us beyond raw primal passion to express the myriad meanings of true love for the self and the other, because it accesses the sexual and emotional part of our brain, instantaneously, while simultaneously our spiritual centres are roused. Herbal circulatory stimulants send fresh blood to the sexual organs increasing sexual arousal; nerve tonics settle the anxious mind into a place of accepting contentment.  Herbal tea and tonics, incense, oils and perfume all beautifully set the stage for our ritual and catalyse the psychophysical processes of spiritualised sex. The highest aspiration for a really good aphrodisiac perfume is to prompt us to love liberally, deeply and authentically with a soft, open heart to realise the unassailable grace of Divine love within. Like an aromatic homecoming to the intrinsic joy of the heart, its true power comes from its ability to open us to the Love that is always within us.

New from Tinderbox

Magick Love Potion

A Potent Pure Plant Philtre

A lascivious libation for lovers from the Tinderbox herbal cauldron, to spice up your sex life. For a delicious, more pleasurable experience that adds new depth, connection and nuance to the ritual of lovemaking for a happy happening and ending. 

Contains raw WA honey, rosehip, ginseng, horny goat weed, damiana, ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, cinnamon, passion flower, rose petals, maca and vanilla.